In many sensors, a certain time is required after a sensor system has been taken into operation until the control system acts and the measurement signal relatively accurately reproduces the quantity to be measured. In sensor systems, e.g., magnetic field sensor arrangement, for detecting the position of mechanical elements, such as for example a Hall sensor for camshaft configurations, it is important, after the operating voltage has been switched on, to detect the position of a mechanical element in order to achieve accurate measurements. In the case of a Hall sensor for camshaft configurations, for example, the position of a camshaft should be detected as accurately as possible after the operating voltage has been switched on, i.e. whether it is a tooth gap (notch) or a tooth of the target wheel which is facing the sensor.
Moreover, in order to compensate for offset components which may result from fluctuating influences, e.g., from unstable mechanical stress voltages of the sensor for temperature dependent circuit parameters, chopper principles may be applied. In particular, the chopper principles provide for a so called true power on (TPO) function of the sensor. A TPO function is understood to be the precise measuring operation immediately after the operating voltage of a sensor system has been switched on, which is of importance, for example, for the precise detection of the position of an idle mechanical element, such as a target wheel (tooth wheel). Chopper principles are suitable for a TPO function since they essentially make it possible to eliminate offset components, which impair the measuring accuracy, from the sensor signal shortly after the operating voltage of a sensor system has been switched on.